Yes, that is the point this systems integrator was making. It all sounds really promising and if U.S. manufacturers can begin to adopt these technologies sooner rather than later, production will come back onshore even faster.

Good point on brining back offshored manufacturing, Elizabeth. You add the efficiency and optimization of the new technology to the fact that logistics costs are growing and labor costs in Asia are growing, and you have a recipe for re-shoring.

Interesting post, Al. I just wrote about the increased use of 3D technology in the manufacturing space that's allowing for the type of advanced automation highlighted in this video. It's really making the process more efficient and cost-effective and, according to the systems integrator I spoke with, could help bring some of the manufacturing that's gone offshore back to N. America.

A few weeks ago, Ford Motor Co. quietly announced that it was rolling out a new wrinkle to the powerful safety feature called stability control, adding even more lifesaving potential to a technology that has already been very successful.

It won't be too much longer and hardware design, as we used to know it, will be remembered alongside the slide rule and the Karnaugh map. You will need to move beyond those familiar bits and bytes into the new world of software centric design.

People who want to take advantage of solar energy in their homes no longer need to install a bolt-on solar-panel system atop their houses -- they can integrate solar-energy-harvesting shingles directing into an existing or new roof instead.

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